Teen in custody after student shot at Maryland school

A student from Perry Hall High School outside Baltimore is in custody after a shooting today, the first day of school, of another student, WUSA television and other news organizations report.

The injured student was flown to a shock trauma unit, and the student's condition is not known, but there are unconfirmed reports the student was shot in the back, according to WUSA.

Update at 2:47 p.m. ET:

Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson released details of the shooting during a press conference with reporters, according to WUSA. The details are as follows:

The 15-year-old suspect entered the Perry Hall High School cafeteria at about 10:45 a.m. ET brandishing a gun. As a teacher moved to grab the suspect, he managed to fire, hitting a 17-year-old in the back. A second teacher joined in the assist and a shot was fired, though no one was hit.

"I saw the kid shooting, then the teacher tackled him," 11th-grader Gerald Roman told WJZ. "The first row started running, then the second row, then everyone was running."

Update at 1:45 p.m. ET:

Parents indicate the incident may have stemmed from a threat on Facebook that read: "First Day of School, Last Day of Life," WUSA is reporting, based on reports from WJZ.

"Today, on this first day of school for many students in our state, we've suffered a senseless act of violence. I'd like to thank the teachers and administrators for their courageous and life-saving actions. At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with the injured student and his family."

Update at 1:29 p.m. ET:

The shooting victim has been taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore and is in critical condition, TheBaltimore Sun is reporting.

Police confirm to the Sun that the suspect is a 15-year-old male, the Sun reports.

Update at 1:07 p.m. ET:

The condition of the student who was shot is critical, CBS News is reporting.

The location of the shock trauma unit where the student was flown by Medevac has still not been made public.

Students Arielle Brown and Miranda Wienecke told the Baltimore Sun that the shooter was stopped by staff members who intervened and stopped him by tackling him, embracing him with a bear hug and pinning him against a vending machine.

Update at 12:46 p.m. ET:

There are unconfirmed reports that the student taken to a shock trauma unit is a 17-year-old male and the student taken into custody is a 15-year-old male, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Although CBS News earlier reported the incident may have been motivated by a grudge, the Sun reports police do not believe the victim was targeted.

Perry Hall High School senior Arielle Brown tells the Sun that students were in the cafeteria for about 15 minutes when they heard a popping sound reminiscent of the opening of a bag of potato chips.

Junior Miranda Wienecke told the news organization she saw people getting under a table.

"Then, I saw people running," Wienecke told the Sun. "We heard this huge boom, then there was another. Everything happened very fast."

Freshman Victoria Cole told the Sun she heard a bang as she was on her way to the cafeteria.

"The teacher said, 'Get back, get back,' " Cole told the Sun, adding that the teacher then pushed Cole's group into a classroom, after which Cole heard four more bangs.

Update at 12:40 p.m. ET:

It appears that the incident was motivated by a one-on-one grudge situation, a source has told CBS News.

Someone was seen in handcuffs, with no shirt, being escorted away by police, CBS reports.

Original post:

Sharpshooters appear to be on the scene, the news organization reports.

Students are leaving the school in an orderly fashion and they are being evacuated to Perry Hall Shopping Center, across the street from the school, WUSA reports.

About 2,300 students attend Perry Hall High School, according to WUSA.

Baltimore County Councilman David Marks lives next-door to the school, the Baltimore Sun reports.

"It's horrifying," Marks, who graduated from the school, told the Sun. "This is a very peaceful community, and my prayers are with anyone who's been impacted by this."

Parents are being allowed to meet up with students at the shopping center, the Sun reports.

According to the Sun, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan was at the school last Wednesday to speak and boost morale for 800 teachers.

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About Doug Stanglin

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